Citing Sources: Using MLA Style
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Dr. George J. Brown
Library/Learning Resource Center
Fall 2009
Main Menu
 Citing
Books
 Citing Articles
 Citing Other Resources
 Citing Web Publications
 Documentation: Citing Sources
EXIT
Citing Books
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The basic entry: A book by a single author
A chapter in a book
An article in a reference book
An anonymous book
A book in a series
A book with an editor
A book with an author and editor
Two or more books by the same author
A book by two or more authors
A book by more than three authors or editors
A book by a corporate author
A book with an edition and a translator
A multi-volume work
A book without stated publication information or
pagination
A Book by a Single Author
Williams, Freddie E., II. The DC Comics
Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics. New
York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2009.
Parenthetical Reference:
(Williams 124). Refers to a specific page.
(Williams).
Refers to the entire book.
A Chapter in a Book
Allen, Henry. “The Gulf Between the Media
and the Military.” The Media and the Gulf
War: The Press and Democracy in
Wartime. Ed. Hendrick Smith.
Washington, D.C.: Seven Locks Press,
1992. 264-270. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Allen 268).
An Article in a Reference Book
Slonimsky, Nicolas, Laura Kuhn, and Dennis
McIntire. “Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus.” Baker’s
Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Ed.
Nicolas Slonimsky and Laura Kuhn. Centennial
Edition. Vol. 4: Levy-Pisa. Detroit: Macmillan
Reference USA, 2001. 2529-2538. Print. 6 vols.
Parenthetical Reference: (Slonimsky 2533).
An Anonymous Book
European Artists. Macmillan Profiles.
Detroit: Macmillan Reference, 2001. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (European 271).
A Book in a Series
Tabachnick, Stephen Ely. T.E. Lawrence
Revised. New York: Twayne Publishers,
1997. Print. Twayne's English Authors Ser.
543.
Parenthetical Reference: (Tabachnick 102).
A Book with an Editor
Steward, Dana F., ed. A Rough Sort of Beauty:
Reflections on the Natural Heritage of
Arkansas. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas
Press, 2002. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Steward 77, 116-18).
A Book With an Author and Editor
Nuttall, Thomas. A Journal of Travels into
the Arkansas Territory During the Year
1819. Ed. Savoie Lottinville. Fayetteville,
University of Arkansas Press, 1999. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Nuttall 22-34).
Two or More Books by the
Same Author
Stevenson, David. Armaments and the Coming of War:
Europe, 1904-1914. New York: Oxford University
Press, 1996. Print.
---, ed. The Outbreak of the First World War: 1914 in
Perspective. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1997. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Stevenson, Armaments 16).
(Stevenson, Outbreak 145-46).
A Book by Two or More Authors
Bevelacqua, Armando, and Richard Stilp. Terrorism
Handbook for Operational Responders. Albany, NY:
Delmar, 2002. Print.
Rominger, Lynne Marie, Karen Heisinger, and Natalie Elkin.
Your First Year as an Elementary School Teacher:
Making the Transition from Total Novice to a Successful
Professional. Roseville, CA: Prima, 2001. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Bevelacqua 103).
(Rominger, Heisinger, and Elkin 53).
A Book by More Than Three
Authors or Editors
Deane, Ernie, et al. The Best of the Arkansas Traveler:
1956-1986. Little Rock, August House, 1986. Print.
Williams, C. Fred, et al., eds. A Documentary History of
Arkansas. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press,
1984. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Deane et al. 171, 185-90).
(Williams et al. 142).
A Book by a Corporate Author
American Psychological Association
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
Disorders: DSM-IV. 4th ed. Washington,
DC: APA, 1994. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (APA 138).
A Book with an Edition
and a Translator
Hyman, Trina Schart. Snow White. Trans.
Paul Heins. Silver anniversary ed. Boston:
Little, Brown, & Co., 1974. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Gibaldi 56).
(Hyman)
A Multi-Volume Work
Fallek, Max, and Kris Solie-Johnson. How to Set
Up Your Own Small Business. 2 vols.
Minneapolis: American Institute of Small
Business, 2003. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Fallek and Solie-Johnson 558).
Books without stated
publication information or
pagination
ABBREVIATE
 No Place – N.p.: Oxford UP, 2009.
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No Publisher – New York: n.p., 2009.
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No Date – New York: Oxford UP, n.d.
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No Pagination – New York: Oxford UP, 2009. N. pag.
Citing Articles
 An
article in a familiar reference book or
encyclopedia
 Article in a reference book or encyclopedia
 An article in a newspaper
 An article in a magazine
 An article in a scholarly journal
 An anonymous article
An Article in a Familiar
Reference Book or
Encyclopedia
Gates, David M. “Astronomy.” The World
Book Encyclopedia. 2002 ed. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Gates).
An Article in a Reference
Book or Encyclopedia
McColley, Diane Kelsey. “John Milton.”
Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Ed. Paul F.
Grendler et al. 2nd ed. Vol. 4: MachiavelliPetrarchism. New York: Charles Scribner’s
Sons, 1999. 147-157. Print. 6 vols.
Parenthetical Reference: (McColley 151).
An Article in a Newspaper
Scott, Melanie D. “Heavenly Stargazing: Red
Planet Will Provide Closest View in Eons.”
New York Times 21 Aug. 2003, late ed.:
A1+. Print.
Parenthetical Reference: (Scott).
An Article in a Magazine
Weekly or bi-weekly magazine
Plagens, Peter. “A Life-time Passion for Collecting.”
Newsweek 16 Oct. 2000: 72-80. Print.
Monthly or Bi-Monthly Magazine
“Judasim in the Theology of Sir Isaac Newton.” Church
History Sept. 2000: 671. Print.
Note: Abbreviate all months except May, June & July
Parenthetical Reference: (Plagens 76).
(“Judaism”).
An Article in a Scholarly Journal
“Can We Save the Present for the Future?” American
Historical Review 103.4 (2003): 734. Print.
Rubin, Joan Shelley. “What is the History of the
History of Books.” Journal of American History
90.2 (2003): 5-12. Print.
Note: 103.4 & 90.2 = volume . issue
Parenthetical Reference: (“Can We Save”).
(Rubin 10).
An Anonymous Article
“Hands Around the World.” People 29 Sept.
2003: 87. Print.
“History Behind the Bible.” Biblical
Archaeology Review 29.1 (2003): 40.
Print.
Parenthetical Reference:
(“Hands”).
(“History”).
Citing Other Resources
A film, video recording, or DVD
An interview
Published or recorded interviews
Interviews broadcast on television or radio
Interview conducted by the researcher
A lecture, a speech, an address or a reading
A Videocassette or DVD
It’s a Wonderful Life. Dir. Frank Capra. Perf. James
Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and
Thomas Mitchell. 1946. Republic, 1998.
Videocassette.
A Beautiful Mind. Screenplay by Akiva Goldsman.
Dir. Ron Howard. Perf. Russell Crowe, Ed Harris,
Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg,
et al. [widescreen version]. Universal City, CA:
Universal, 2002. DVD.
An Interview
“Name of the person interviewed. If the interview is
part of a publication, recording, or program,
enclose the title of the interview, if any, in
quotation marks; if the interview was published
independently, italicize the title. If the interview
is untitled, use the descriptive label Interview,
neither italicized nor enclosed in quotation marks.
Conclude with the appropriate bibliographic
information and the medium of publication.
(MLA 201)
Published or Recorded
Interviews
Grossman, Lev, and Johnny Cash. “Johnny Cash: A
Final Interview.” Time 22 Sept. 2003: 65. Print.
Wolfe, Tom. Interview. The Wrong Stuff: American
Architecture. Dir. Tom Bettag. Carousel, 1983.
Videocassette.
Parenthetical Reference: (Grossman). (Wolfe).
Interviews Broadcast on
Television or Radio
Kevorkian, Dr. Jack. Interview with Larry King.
Larry King Live. CNN. New York.
5 Apr. 2001. Television.
Bush, President George W. Interview with Ray
Suarez. Talk of the Nation. Natl. Public Radio.
WBUR, Boston. 15 Oct. 2003. Radio.
Parenthetical Reference: (Kevorkian).
(Bush).
An Interview Conducted by
the Researcher
Davis, Rhonda G. Personal interview. 16 Oct. 2003.
Malone, Allison. Telephone interview. 20 Oct. 2003.
Turner, Pamela. E-mail interview. 9-15 Nov. 2009.
Parenthetical Reference:
(Davis).
(Malone).
(Turner).
A Lecture, a Speech, an
Address, or a Reading
McKinney, Mildred. “How Poetry Has Inspired
Me.” Poetry is Alive. Southern Arkansas
University Tech. Library/Learning Resource
Center, Camden, AR. 13 Nov. 2002. Keynote
speech.
Speaker’s last name, First name and Initial. “Title of the
presentation (if known).” The meeting title (if given). The
sponsoring organization (if given). Location. Day Month
Year. Descriptive label (Address, Lecture, Keynote speech,
Reading).
Parenthetical Reference: (McKinney).
Citing Web Publications
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An online book i.e. netlibrary.com
 An audio book
 An article in an online reference database
i.e. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
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An article in an online database
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EBSCOhost
LexisNexis
SIRS
MagillOnLiterature Plus
A complete scholarly project, or information database
A personal site
A scholarly journal on the web
An online news article
A YouTube video
An online map
An Online Book
Tracy, Brian. Success is a Journey: Make Your Life
a Grand Adventure. Ed. John Smith. Provo, UT:
Executive Excellence Pub., 1998. NetLibrary.
Web. 16 Oct. 2003.
Parenthetical Reference: (Tracy).
An Audio Book
Dallek, Robert, and Richard McGonagle. An
Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963.
Abr. ed. Hachette Audio, 2003. Web. MP3 file.
Parenthetical Reference: (Dallek and McGonagle).
Note: Abr. ed. is an abbreviation for Abridged
Edition.
An Article in an Online Reference
Database
“Seven Wonders of the World.” Encyclopaedia Britannica
Online. Academic Edition. Encyclopaedia Britannica,
2009. Web. 11 November 2009.
Parenthetical Reference: (“Seven Wonders”).
An Article in an
Online Database
Cite the article following the recommended format
for citing articles. Italicize the title of the
database. State the medium consulted – web.
The date of access (day, month, and year).
When no pagination is given, use n. pag.
EBSCOhost
Rockney, Randy "Should school uniforms be
mandated in elementary schools?." Brown
University Child & Adolescent Behavior
Letter 21.5 (2005): 8. Academic Search
Elite. EBSCO. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
Parenthetical Reference: (Rockney).
SIRS
Gold, Michael. “The Greatest Gift: A Guide to
Adoption.” Moment Aug. 1997: 42+. SIRS
Researcher. Web. 23 Oct. 2003.
Linton, Michael. “The Mozart Effect.” First Things
Mar. 1999: 10-13. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 23
Oct. 2003.
Parenthetical Reference: (Gold 42).
(Linton)
LexisNexis
Blankley, Tony. “Bring Back the Draft: What It
Will Take to Survive and Win in the 21st
Century.” The Washington Times 11 February
2009, sec. OPED: A21. LexisNexis. Web. 11
Nov. 2009.
Parenthetical Reference: (Blankley).
MagillOnLiterature Plus
Poe, Edgar Allan. "The Cask of Amontillado."
Magill’s Survey of American Literature.
Revised Edition. (2007): MagillOnLiterature
Plus. EBSCO. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
Parenthetical Reference: (Poe).
A Complete Scholarly Project
or Information Database
Bartleby.com. Ed. Steven H. van Leeuwen.
2009. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
History.com. A&E Television Networks.
1996-2008. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
Parenthetical Reference:
(Bartleby.com).
(History.com)
A Personal Site
Davis, Rhonda. Home page. 28 June 2002. Web. 11
Nov. 2009
Name of person who created the site. Title of the Site
italicized or if there is no title, use the description
Home page, the date of the last update, if given;
the medium, followed by the date of access.
Parenthetical Reference: (Davis).
A Scholarly Journal on the
Web
Stambor, Z. “Low Self-Esteem Distort Perceptions
of Partners.” Monitor on Psychology. APA
Online. 37.5 (2006): 10. Web. 11 November
2009.
Parenthetical Reference: (Stambor).
An Online News Article
“U.S. to Seize Mosques, Skyscraper Linked to Iran.”
Foxnews.com. Fox News Network, 13 Nov. 2009.
Web. 13 Nov. 2009.
Parenthetical Reference: (U.S.).
A YouTube Video
Alexie, Sherman. Sherman Alexie Speaks. Dir.
Tony Gallucci. Milk River, 2007. YouTube.
Web. 10 Aug. 2009.
Review: Pure Digital Technologies’ Flip Video
Camera. Computerworld, 2007. YouTube. Web.
11 November 2009.
Parenthetical Reference: (Alexie).
(Review).
An Online Map
“Camden, AR.” Map. Google Maps. Google, 11
November 2009. Web. 11 November 2009.
Parenthetical Reference: (“Camden”).
Documentation: Citing Sources
 Parenthetical documentation
 General Notes
Parenthetical Documentation
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Author’s name in the sentence
Author’s name in the reference
Citing an entire work
Citing part of an article or of a book
Citing volume and page numbers of a
multivolume work
Citing a work listed by title
Citing two or more works by the same author
Citing more than one work in a single reference
Author’s Name in the
Sentence
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Magny develops this argument (67-69).
 Others, like Walters and Edwards (123), hold the
opposite point of view.
 It may be true, as Smith maintains, that “media
and the military cultures are clashing” (264).
 According to Gibaldi, “if, for example, you
include an author’s name in a sentence, you need
not repeat the name in the parenthetical page
citation that follows” (206).
Author’s Name in the
Reference
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Others have argued this point (e.g. Kerrigan and
Smith).
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Only one scholar has observed this relation
(Cooper 53).
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Gibaldi recommends placing “the parenthetical
reference where a pause would naturally occur
(preferably at the end of a sentence), as near as
possible to the material documented” (207).
Citing an Entire Work
 Davis’
Gardening Secrets include many
vegetable and flower growing tips.
 Malone
and Turner broke new ground on
the subject.
 Fryar
and her coeditors have provided a
useful guide to 2003 tax laws.
Citing Part of An Article or of
A Book
 Helen
Cothran presents several opinions on
factors that cause police brutality (55-84).
 The
Iraq War was the first war in which
television reporting was real-time, hence
called “War: Live in Iraq” (Smith 59-78).
Citing Volume and Page #’s of
a Multivolume Work
and Solie-Johnson state “pitfalls are
only something to worry about if you don’t
know where they are” (2: 757).
 Fallek
 In
the election of 2000, the ballot counting
system in the United States underwent
intense scrutiny (Schlesinger, vol. 4).
Citing a Work Listed by Title
A
New York Times editorial called Ralph
Ellison “a writer of universal reach”
(“Death”).
 Paul
Cézanne, “a founder of
impressionism,” was born and raised in
Aux-en-Provence (European Artists 70).
Citing Two or More Works by
the Same Author or Authors
“The global impact of the First World War
dominated the history of the first half of the
twentieth century” (Stevenson, Armaments 29).
Citing More Than One Work in
a Single Reference
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(Davis 23; Malone 133-45)
(Arkansas Historical Association 28-30; Smith 450)
(Stevenson, Bender, and Cothran xii; Banks 57-62)
(Stevenson, Armaments 1-28; Murphy 77-86)
(Stevenson, Outbreak 99-113; Manning)
(“Marriage”; Johnson 77)
(Report ; Armstrong 101)
(Williams et. al., 2: 159; Crane)
Works Cited: General Notes
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Draft this section first so that you will know what
information to give in parenthetical references as you
write.
The list of works cited appears at the end of the paper. If
your paper ends in page 14, works cited page is 15.
½ header should be aligned right with Last Name page#.
Center the title, Works Cited, an inch from the top of the
page.
Double-space between the title and the first entry.
Begin each entry flush with the left margin, indent
subsequent lines five spaces.
Double-space the entire list, both between and within
alphabetical entries.
Works Cited
This work was originally created using the 6th edition and has
been revised and updated using the 7th ed.
Gilbaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: Modern
Language Association of America, 2003.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th
ed. New York: MLA: 2009.